Les milieux officiels britanniques, et la presse officielle d’une fa\u00e7on g\u00e9n\u00e9rale, n’ont pas du tout<\/strong> appr\u00e9ci\u00e9 les d\u00e9clarations du pr\u00e9sident fran\u00e7ais Sarkozy de jeudi soir. Le passage o\u00f9 Sarkozy met en cause la politique britannique de lutte contre la crise (politique de r\u00e9duction de la TVA), notamment et particuli\u00e8rement, a \u00e9t\u00e9 ressenti comme un coup de Trafalgar, mais pas dans le sens historique qu’on sait.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tTous les journaux londoniens embrayent sur l’affaire. Mais on dirait plut\u00f4t que cela est fait sur un ton mi-figue mi-raisin. Il y a l’habituelle r\u00e9action anti-fran\u00e7aise pour cette sorte de circonstances mais adoucie par la volont\u00e9 de ne pas trop para\u00eetre soutenir Brown, immens\u00e9ment impopulaire actuellement.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tNous nous attachons surtout \u00e0 l’article central du Times<\/em> sur le sujet, du 6 f\u00e9vrier<\/a>, qui rapporte l’affaire et r\u00e9sume les diverses r\u00e9actions, et le malaise anglo-fran\u00e7ais (dans cet ordre) qui s’ensuit.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abFrench officials scrambled to salvage the entente cordiale today after President Sarkozy publicly disparaged Gordon Brown’s response to the global economic crisis. In a 90-minute interview carried simultaneously on three TV channels last night, Mr Sarkozy promised not to repeat Britain’s economic mistakes and said that the Prime Minister’s flagship VAT cut had absolutely not worked.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbThis morning the Elys\u00e9e Palace attempted to smooth ruffled feathers, assuring officials at Downing Street that Mr Sarkozy’s comments had not been intended as an attack on British economic policy. But a Downing Street spokesman left little doubt of the irritation that Mr Sarkozy caused at No 10, telling reporters: The Elysee have been in contact this morning to assure us that these remarks were not meant as a critique of UK economic policy – which is nice. The spokesman declined to say whether this morning’s telephone conversation between officials in Downing Street and the Elysee was initiated by London or Paris.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbChallenged over his own plans to boost the French economy by infrastructure spending rather than tax cuts, Mr Sarkozy said: Britain is cutting taxes. That will bring them nothing. Consumption continues to decrease in Britain. Predictably enough, the Tories jumped on Mr Sarkozy’s comments. President Sarkozy is the latest international leader to condemn Gordon Brown’s main policy for tackling the recession, said George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor.<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tPourquoi l’article du Times<\/em> dans ce cas? Nous nous r\u00e9f\u00e9rons souvent \u00e0 ce quotidien, qui a une attitude caract\u00e9ristique, atlantiste, pro-US, anti-fran\u00e7aise, ce qui nous permet de bien appr\u00e9cier les r\u00e9actions de ces milieux aux affaires politiques. Il est important de conna\u00eetre les r\u00e9actions des uns et des autres, y compris (surtout, peut-\u00eatre) celles d’une approche politique que vous ne partagez pas<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tNous connaissons bien le Times<\/em>, mais nous connaissons bien aussi les r\u00e9actions des lecteurs du Times<\/em>, \u00e9videmment dans le m\u00eame sens que la ligne politique du journal, souvent en plus exacerb\u00e9, en moins polic\u00e9. Aussi, d\u00e8s qu’une intervention fran\u00e7aise est per\u00e7ue comme anti-anglaise, les r\u00e9actions des lecteurs dans ce cadre sont extr\u00eamement anti-fran\u00e7aises, souvent tr\u00e8s brutales, parfois aussi d’une fa\u00e7on caricaturale et presque comique. Ce qui nous a beaucoup surpris dans le cas de cet article, c’est la tonalit\u00e9 des r\u00e9actions des lecteurs, soutenant dans une \u00e9crasante majorit\u00e9 l’attaque de Sarkozy et, surtout, critiquant Brown \u00e0 mesure.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tUne s\u00e9lection de r\u00e9actions dans ce sens<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abWell done Sarkosy, we all agree with you. Oh; just love the wife. (Dee, Poole, Dorset)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abWhy castigate the guy for telling the truth? (Sue Doughty, Twyford, UK)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abThe Germans first .. and now the French… Who else needs to tell Gordon to step down ? (Silvio, London)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abSince when did we listen to what the French say. I didn’t realize the Tories were that desperate for support. (Ian, London, UK)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abBrown’s furious? Well the truth hurts! (Paul Williams, Worcester, UK)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abIt is difficult to suppress the truth but Brown has been trying to cover up his disasters,\u00a0\u00bbthe whole world are supporting my proposals he tells us. Alas he it didn’t translate into French or German even the American interpretation of Gordon’s words don’t ring true. Brown’s best words I resign now (WSS, Cheshire)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abThree cheers for Sarko!!! He is not going to waster money on propping up largesse and unsustainable consumption. He is doing what the UK should be doing. However, all European countries need to roll back State spending. (Stephen Marchant, Newton Abbot, UK)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abSome 70 per cent of the British public are furious with Brown and his cronies, but he and they don’t seem to mind that. (Neil, Gloucestershire, England)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abTerrible when we have to rely on the President of France to do the job of the Leader of H.M.’s Opposition (Mike, Birmingham, UK)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abPoor old Gordon everyone is picking on him, he likes to think he is number one, when he thinks of an idea people will fall over themselves to put that idea into practice. Sadly so far everything he has done has shown it’s the banks that rule not the government. my own feeling is Browns days are over. (Robert, Swansea, UK)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abVive la v\u00e9rit\u00e9… down with Crash Brown’s spinning machine! (Tom, St. Albans, England)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abIt seems to me that between Sarkozy and Clarkson we at last have a cogent critique of the shambolic ediface currently posing as the UK government. (Andy, Gloucester, UK)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abSarkozy has just stated what the public, experts, and rival politicians have been stating for months. The difference is that Downing Street is actually responding to Sarkozy’s comment. Admittedly not in a constructive way, but then again I don’t think anyone really expected that. (Jamie, Manchester, UK)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abYeah but Sarkozy was right. A vat cut was not going to increase everyones confidence to spend. Just cause a jumper is around 20p cheaper don’t mean i m going to buy it. Watch the French Brown. You might learn something. (James , Leicester , UK)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00ab \t\u00abSark is not wrong, VAT cuts have not worked and we English have no industry thanks to Gord and his cronies. The truth hurts Downing Street. (Andy D, Manchester )<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abIt couldn’t be that President Sarkozy is right, could it? The much-vaunted Tax cut in the UK (2.5% off VAT, if I remember correctly) has had a positive effect somewhere, apart from swelling the margins of businesses…? Does Downing Street have any idea of the irritation they cause us, the voters? (Grindles, London, England !<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbWhile never being a Conservative voter (though that is likely to change) Sarkozy reminds me of Thatcher for his foreign policies\/approach in not being afraid to ruffle feathers and for that I admire him. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abAnd at least he met with the Dalai Lama instead of cowering to the Chinese government! (Nathan Williams, Hounslow, England)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abBrilliant from Sarkozy love it. (Peter MJ, London)<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tPourquoi s’arr\u00eater \u00e0 cette avalanche? Parce qu’elle est si totalement inhabituelle qu’elle nous en dit long, de la part de citoyens britanniques en g\u00e9n\u00e9ral si patriotes dans leur prises de position politique, non pas sur la popularit\u00e9 de Sarkozy mais sur l’extraordinaire impopularit\u00e9 de Gordon Brown. Comme l’\u00e9crit un des lecteurs: \u00abDoes Downing Street have any idea of the irritation they cause us, the voters?<\/em>\u00bb Il en faut, en effet, de l’irritation britannique, pour applaudir de cette fa\u00e7on, dans un premier r\u00e9flexe, l’intervention d’un pr\u00e9sident fran\u00e7ais critiquant d’une fa\u00e7on si publique le Premier ministre et la politique britanniques au cur de la crise. (La critique de Sarko n’est pas la seule \u00e0 soulever des vagues. Il y a aussi Jeremy Clarkson<\/a>, de la BBC, d’ailleurs cit\u00e9 par un des lecteurs, qui insulte l’intelligence du Premier ministre et le traite aimablement de One-eyed Scotish idiot<\/em>.) <\/p>\n<\/p>\n